David Norris (Independent)

I am grateful to Senator McHugh for his indulgence. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Malley, who comes from a distinguished political lineage, well known to both this and the other House. I look forward to a very distinguished career for himself and congratulate him on his appointment as Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children.

It is appropriate that we take this report in the House for a number of reasons. My colleague, Senator Mary Henry, who is a medical doctor, has repeatedly asked for this. It would be a good idea if we institutionalised the notion of discussing the report of the inspectorate of mental hospitals annually in the House. Although there are problems, the hospitals can also be proud of certain things going right back to the time of Dean Jonathan Swift, the first person to recognise a point that has been made by many of my other colleagues here, that mental illness is a counterpart of physical illness, not possession by demons and not something that should be exhibited for the entertainment of the idle classes. It is part of the human condition that is in many instances treatable in a humane fashion.

I remember discussing in this House the question of St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane. A relative of mine, somebody who suffered from very severe Down's syndrome, was there for a number of years, but I was not aware of the fact. These kinds of things were concealed – mental illness was a shame. I think it astonishing that a comparatively close connection of mind should have been in St. Ita's, Portrane for so many years and that I was quite unaware of the fact. I pay tribute to the staff for the way in which, in very difficult circumstances, they treated the patients there. It may well have been argued at the time that some at least of the patients were of such reduced intellectual capacity that they were unaware of things such as peeling paint or lack of proper sanitary facilities. I do not believe that to be true and, even if it was, they were entitled to good conditions. One must also think of the morale of the staff and the nursing profession. They are entitled to treat their patients in conditions that are both humane and decent.

We must also address the historical situation. Places like St. Ita's and Grangegorman were of their period. They were of a period with the Magdalen laundries, a period when people were stuffed into mental hospitals and Magdalen laundries to get them out of the way. I think of people like Hanna Greally, a woman from the midlands. I remember reading her book Bird's Nest Soup. She was just a girl of high spirits and by the age of 18 was put into the local mental hospital and it took her about 30 or 40 years to get out. She did eventually get out and spent the last years of her life independently. That was a reproach to the whole of our society.